Muffle-furnace



Patented Nov. 18, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

1E0. 5 .1v W i i 23% +3. =2 lswwwg PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM G. ZETSCHE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

MUFFLE-FURNACE.

Applioation'fllecl February 28, 1919.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM (i. Znrscnn, citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of (look and 'State of .Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Muiile-Furnaces; and I do hereby declare the following to bee full, clear, and exact descri Jtion of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention has for its object to provitle an improved uiu'lllc furnace and has for its particular object to provide a furnace of this character having a plurality of inullles mounted therein to be heated for melting or otherwise affecting the contents thereof and in which the temperature of the several mufi'les may be readily regulated as desired to roduce the desired result.

he particular ob ect of the invention is to provide a furnace of the character set forth which will provide batches of molten metal or other products at more or less regular intervals capable of easy control by the operator and which may, therefore, be maintained continurmsly in operation with resulting economy of time, fuel and labor.

The invention consists in the features of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter fully described and particularly claimed.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating a suitable embodiment of the invention:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of a mulile furnace constructed in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan section of the same on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the same on the line 33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a plan section on the line l4 of Flg. 3.

My invention relates particularly to that class of muiile furi'iaces which are adapted to be heated by gas or other fluid fuel. To this end it comprises the housing 1 oi fire brick or other suitable material, which s preferably rectangular in vertical and plan sections. The side walls of said furnace or housing are provided at their upper ends with openings 2 into which the fuel supply pipes 3 roject, the latter being preferably connected with a source of supply of gas, coal dust or other fluid fuel or hot products Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 18, 1919.

Serial No. 279,803.

of combustion. Spanning the end walls of the housing are a plurality of niuflles 4, 5 and 6 which are partially projected into one of the side walls of the furnace and span the open space between the side wall and end Walls thereof and which extend entirely through the other side wall of the same. Each of said muflles is adapted to be closed at its outer end by means of a removable plug 7. The said mutiles are disposed at respectively different elevations and are adapted to be successively heated by the passage of the hot gases from the top of the housing to the bottom thereof from which they are exhausted through the opening 8. The side walls are provided at points substantially midway between the upper mulile l and the next lower crucible 5 with open ings 9 adapted to be closed by plugs 10. Similar openings closed by the plugs 11 are provided in the side walls substantially midway between the motile 5 and the next lower muliie 6. Obviously, the muflles will be made of suitable heat resisting material adapted to the purpose.

The openings 2 in the opposite side walls of the housing are laterally offset from each other so that the flame issuing from each thereof will not oppose the other. In practies, the muffles 4, 5 and 6 are filled with the material to be heated. and fuel is then introduced through the supply pipes 3. The hot products of combustion will pass downwardly through the housing and will be exhausted through the opening 8. The heat will thus be absorbed successively by the mufiles 4, 5 and 6 and the latter will become heated gradually successively to the necessary high degree.

The particular object of the invention is to provide a plurality of inuflies which may be filled with material to be heated successively so as to maintain the furnace in continuous operation. Thus, for example, the mutlie t will be first filled with the material, then the inulilc 5 and thereafter the mufiie 6. The muflie 4t will be first heated to the necessary higl'i degree and may be emptied and refilled, and in this interval, the muflie 5 will have attained the requisite high temperature so that after the niuiiie 4 has been refilled and at such intervals as may be necessary thereafter, the mulile 5 will be ready to be emptied and refilled and so also, in its due order, the muliie 6. Thus, each of the mufiles are successively emptied and refilled so as to produce a relatively continuous supply of the products thereof.

In order that the furnace may be properly operated, to substantially continuously produce product or batches of product at regular intervals the temperature therein may be regulated by moving the plugs 10 and 11 to admit fresh air into the furnace to become admixed with the hot products of combustion and reduce the temperature thereof, thereby regulating the rapidity with which the muflles 5 and 6 in particular attain the desired temperature.

Obviously, the number of mufiles disposed in the housing and the number of openin s controlled by plugs 10 and 11 may fie changed and varied to accommodate the device to the needs of each instalment. Other structural changes may be incorporated for similar reasons without departin from the invention as defined in the appen ed claims.

I claim as my invention:

1 A muffle furnace comprising a housing having fuel feed openings in one end thereof and an outlet for products of combustion at its other end; a plurality of muffles mounted at their ends in the Walls of said housing and spanning the space between the fuel feed and discharge openings and adapted to be heated successively as the hot products of combustion pass through said housing, said muflics being spaced from each other and each thereof being open at one end and said open end exposed exterior] of the furnace, plugs for closing said muflies, and valve-controlled openings in the Walls of the housing for admitting fresh air thereto for regulating the temperature within the same.

2. A muffle furnace comprising a housing having connection at its upper end with a source of supply of fluid fuel under pressure and provided in its lower end with a dis charge opening for products of combustion, a plurality of mufiles spanning the interior of the housing at different elevations, there being openings in the Walls of the housing at elevations alternating With and disposed substantially in staggered relation to the said mufiles, and removable plugs controlling said openings.

WILLIAM Gr. ZETSCHE. 

